No data bundle launched for parents to control phone use

A Guernsey telecoms provider is launching a new data-free package to help parents control their children’s access to the digital world.

Sure said its new Basic Sharer bundle with unlimited calls and text messages but no mobile data is designed so children can stay in touch without internet access.

The company’s acting chief commercial officer Mike Fawkner-Corbett said whilst the digital world has benefits “it also comes with challenges – especially for young people navigating the online world.”

Smartphone Free Childhood Guernsey wants children to stop using phones altogether until the age of 14 and for the Bailiwick to follow Jersey’s ban on mobile phones at its schools and colleges.

Mr Fawkner-Corbett said campaigns “highlighted how much our community cares about online safety”.

He added: “It is all about giving families options – we want to put the power in their hands so they can decide how their kids engage with the online world.”

Access to digital services on the plan is limited to wi-fi at locations such as home or school, Sure said.

The company added this meant parents and carers “have greater ability to manage and monitor online activity” through parental controls on devices Android and the home routers it provides.

The move was welcomed by Victoria Falla, from Smartphone Free Childhood Guernsey.

She said: “In a world where data is a commodity, offering a plan that prioritises simple connection is a refreshingly responsible move.”

In July the new president of the Committee for Education, Sport and Culture Deputy Paul Montague told the BBC the committee needed to “look carefully at what a ban means” but thought “a community led smartphone ban” was initially needed for primary aged children.